Theophister Mukakibibi, a Roman-Catholic nun, was sentenced to 30 years in prison for her involvement in the Rwandan genocide of 1994. She was sentenced by a traditional gacaca court in the town of Butare and jailed Nov. 9. Mukakibibi worked for the Butare hospital during the genocide.

Jean Baptiste Ndahumba, the president of the gacaca court, said to CNN, “She was responsible for selecting Tutsis and would throw them out of the hospital and the militia would then kill them.” CNN reported that 20 people had testified against her.

“(The gacaca courts) bring witnesses to testify against the person who’s being charged, and are being overseen by the Supreme Court of Rwanda,” said Vital Akimana, a junior peace and conflict studies major.

The gacaca hearings are essential to a timely trial system. When they first were being used after the genocide, it wasn’t always easy to rely on the accusations.

“(Rwandan officials) need to do a little more to show that they’re doing what they can for closure,” said Akimana. Akimana cited the many abuses of the justice system as a problematic issue in the search for reconciliation and closure for the families and communities victimized by the genocide.

Shelini Harris, assistant professor of religious studies and peace and conflict studies, felt that reconciliation was necessary but also difficult because of the lack of freedom victimized people feel within a social and religious framework.

“Very often you find that churches in colonized countries think more along the lines of the colonizers than the indigenous people,” said Harris. “From what I know, I’d suspect a strong connection there.”

Many clergy have been excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church due to involvement in the genocide. However, the social and political connections still remain.

“Religion, historically, has been on the side of the wrongdoers or oppressors, sometimes actively participating in injustice by giving religious and theological justification for the dominant and oppressive regime,” said Harris.

Bolivian colonization brought the Catholic church to Rwanda, but since Rwandan independence a strong Muslim presence has been growing. Many Muslims offered shelter to the Tutsis and protection from radical Hutus, which explains the increase in conversions to Islam.

“You also have religion playing the prophetic role, where they challenge and do what Christ would have done in the sense of being a martyr, and being willing to take on suffering,” said Harris.

After the 1994 Rwandan genocide, over 800,000 people had been killed. According to CNN, 100,000 of the victims were killed in the massacre in Butare, where Mukakibibi worked. The 30-year jail sentence for Mukakibibi may offer some closure for specific victims, but the goal of reconciliation still is on the horizon.

According to the BBC, “Two other Catholic nuns were found guilty by a Belgian court in 2001, and male priests have also faced trial.